U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR, 

W.  B.  WILSON,  Secretary, 

WASHINGTON'.  -  3  t  13,  1  0  2^  • 


VREPORT  OF  SPECIAL  COMMITTEE  APPOINTED  BY  THE  SECRETARY  OF 
LABOR  TO  INVESTIGATE  COMPLAINTS  AGAINST  THE  TEMPORARY 
ADMiSSION  OF  ALIENS  FOR  AGRICULTURAL  PURPOSES. 


Sir  :  Pursuant  to  your  appointment  of  the  undersigned  investi¬ 
gators  to  conduct  a  survey  of  the  labor  conditions  obtaining  as  a 
result  of  the  departmental  order  of  February  12,  1920,  and  the  sup¬ 
plementary  order  of  April  12,  1920,  admitting  temporarily  Mexican 
laborers  for  employment  in  agricultural  pursuits,  we  have  visited 
and  made  a  study  of  the  greater  portion  of  the  country  into  which 
these  laborers  have  been  imported.  The  protests  filed  in  the  Depart¬ 
ment  of  Labor  and  presented  to  the  House  Immigration  Committee 
against  the  issuance  of  these  orders  have  likewise  been  given  thorough 
consideration,  and  a  systematic  effort  made  to  determine  whether 
these  protests  were  based  upon  a  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the 
labor  conditions  in  the  communities  where  these  protests  originated. 
In  addition  to  the  conversation  had  relative  to  this  subject  you  di¬ 
rected  your  assistant,  Mr.  H.  L.  Kerwin,  to  provide  the  signers  of 
this  report  with  the  following  memorandum  : 

May  8,  1920. 

Memorandum  for  Mr.  Grant  Hamilton  and  Mr.  A.  L.  Faulkner. 

In  connection  with  the  verbal  instructions  given  you  by  the  Secretary  con¬ 
cerning  your  investigation  into  the  temporary  admission  of  Mexican  laborers 
into  the  United  States,  and  after  a  conference  with  the  Secretary  this  morning, 
lie  feels  that  there  are  three  paramount  phases  of  the  situation  : 

First.  Surplusage  of  labor. 

Second.  The  allegation  that  a  large  percentage  of  Mexican  people  coming  into 
the  States  for  agricultural  pursuits  drift  into  the  cities  and  go  into  competition 
with  wage  workers  there. 

Third.  It  is  claimed  that  the  necessity  for  the  temporary  admission  of  Mexi¬ 
cans  for  agricultural  purposes  was  of  first  importance  to  the  agricultural  in¬ 
dustry  of  the  border  States  because  of  the  inability  to  obtain  the  necessary 
help  to  plant  and  harvest  crops.  The  bureau  granted  temporary  admission  of 
this  class  of  labor,  realizing  that  any  impairment  of  the  supply  of  food  brought 
about  through  any  cause  would  affect  the  workers  and  all  our  people  and 
would  be  reflected  in  the  cost  of  living. 

H.  L.  Kerwin, 
Assistant  to  the  Secretary. 

In  proceeding  to  carry  out  these  instructions  no  effort  was  made 
to  gather  an  elaborate  array  of  statistics.  The  gathering  of  such 
statistical  data  would  have  required  a  large  field  force,  and  would 
have  resulted  in  only  an  elaboration  of  our  findings.  Our  practical 
plan  was  to  make  a  rapid  survey  of  a  wide  territor}7,  tapping  those 
sources  of  information  that  were  essential  to  secure  reliable  general 
information.  Approximation  based  on  first-hand  knowledge,  the 


2 


result  of  a  visitation  of  an  extensive  area  of  the  country  west  of  the 
Missouri  River,  indicates  very  clearly  the  status  of  the  labor  situa¬ 
tion  in  the  entire  western  territory. 

The  purpose  of  this  investigation  originates  in  the  claims  and 
counterclaims  of  individuals  and  organizations  relative  to  the  dearth 
or  surplusage  of  farm  labor,  the  movements  of  Mexican  labor  admit¬ 
ted  under  the  exemption  order  of  February  12,  1920,  and  the  sup- 
plementary  order  of  April  12,  1920.  The  investigation  involves  the 
question  of  whether  the  exemption  orders  were  justified  by  the  cir¬ 
cumstances  existing  in  the  farming  communities,  it  having  been  de¬ 
clared  that  Mexican  labor,  in  the  absence  of  other  procurable  labor, 
was  imperatively  necessary  to  plant,  cultivate,  and  harvest  foodstuffs 
in  order  that  an  increased  acreage  of  essential  products  might  be 
planted,  given  proper  attention,  and  prepared  for  the  market. 

The  order  of  February  12,  1920,  and  the  supplemental  order  of 
April  12,  1920,  admitting  alien  laborers,  contained  specific  instruc¬ 
tions  to  supervising  immigrant  inspectors  to  admit  aliens  without  en¬ 
forcement  of  the  head  tax  and  the  literacy  test  provisions  contained 
in  the  immigration  laws  for  the  purpose,  as  stated  in  the  order,  of 
admitting  temporarily  agricultural  laborers  from  Mexico  and  Canada 
during  the  season  of  1920,  to  perform  labor  in  the  border  States  and 
Florida,  together  with  provisions  expressly  authorizing  the  sugar- 
beet  growers  in  the  large  western  beet  belt  to  recruit  alien  labor 
under  the  terms  of  the  orders. 

That  this  survey  may  not  be  wholly  restricted  to  the  order  of 
February  12,  1920,  and  the  supplemental  order  of  April  12,  1920, 
there  is  incorporated  in  this  report  statistics  which  have  been  gath¬ 
ered  by  the  Immigration  Service  covering  the  entire  period  of  four 
years,  during  which  time  exceptions  have  been  authorized  permitting 
the  entrance  of  alien  laborers  for  agricultural  work. 

In  order  that  a  comprehensive  survey  might  be  made,  your  investi¬ 
gators  visited  10  of  the  Western  States,  selecting  those  cities  for  our 
field  of  operation  that  formed  the  gateway  through  which  these 
laborers  passed,  and  also  those  cities  adjacent  to  the  communities  in 
which  the  Mexicans  were  employed.  This  route  traversed  the  terri¬ 
tory  in  which  the  great  bulk  of  western  farm  products  are  produced, 
as  well  as  covering  practically  the  larger  portion  of  that  territory 
where  sugar  beets  are  grown.  The  States  in  which  the  investigation 
was  made  are  as  follows:  Nebraska,  Colorado,  Missouri,  New  Mexico, 
Texas,  Arizona,  California,  Kansas,  Nevada,  and  Utah. 

Information  was  secured  from  representatives  of  the  organiza¬ 
tions  of  labor,  employment  offices  and  labor  recruiters,  representa¬ 
tives  of  sugar  companies,  chambers  of  commerce,  social  service 
bureaus,  immigration  officers  in  charge  of  ports  of  entry,  immigra¬ 
tion  inspctors,  railroad  employees,  farmers,  and  in  any  other  quarter 
which,  in  our  judgment,  seemed  likely  to  be  fertile  ground  for  securing 
information  bearing  upon  the  general  subject  under  consideration. 

The  rapid  expansion  of  the  sugar-beet  industry  in  the  western 
country  created  a  likewise  expanding  field  for  the  employment  of 
common  or  unskilled  labor.  Immediately  following  the  declara¬ 
tion  of  war  on  April  6,  1917,  the  normal  flow  of  immigration  into 
this  country  practically  ceased,  and  with  the  mobilization  of  a  large 
Army  there  came  an  acute  shortage  in  labor  of  all  kinds,  and  par¬ 
ticularly  was  this  true  of  farm  labor.  It  is  common  knowledge 


aaDJ 


3 


that  even  before  the  war  there  was  a  distinct  drift  of  labor  from  the 
farms  to  the  cities.  This  condition  was  intensified  during  the  war 
and  is  still  a  serious  problem. 

From  the  date  of  the  declaration  of  war  to  the  date  of  this  report 
it  is  universally  conceded  that  the  demand  for  labor  of  all  kinds  gen¬ 
erally  has  been  greater  than  the  supply.  No  data  exist  showing  the 
number  of  men  in  this  country  who  have  been  or  are  unemployed, 
but  doubtless  the  aggregate  reaches  considerable  proportions,  yet, 
under  the  conditions  which  exist  at  the  present  time  and  which  have 
existed  for  three  years,  such  employment  statistics  as  are  available 
prove  that  there  has  been  a  very  insistent  and  continuous  demand 
for  common  or  unskilled  labor  and  that  wages  have  been  materially 
advanced.  Until  that  demand  is  supplied  it  is  self-evident  that  there 
is  a  dearth  of  available  unskilled  or  common  labor.  Workmen  who 
are  voluntarily  unemployed  where  opportunities  for  work  are  wide¬ 
spread  and  at  reasonable  remuneration  can  not  in  reasonableness  and 
good  faith  challenge  the  right  of  this  country  to  expand  its  industry 
and  its  agriculture  by  seeking  necessary  labor  where  it  may  be  found. 

The  existing  high  prices  of  foodstuffs  are  no  doubt  affected  in 
some  measure  by  speculators  and  others  who  deal  in  necessaries  of 
life.  It  is  equally  true  that  the  farmers  are  likewise  receiving  a  sub¬ 
stantial  advance  for  their  products,  and  they  also  have  been  com¬ 
pelled  to  meet  heavy  increases  in  operating  expenses,  particularly 
in  cost  of  farm  labor,  due  to  an  unprecedented  shortage  attributable 
to  attractive  remuneration  offered  workmen  in  industries  other  than 
farming. 

If  the  cost  of  living,  therefore,  is  to  recede  from  its  present  high 
level,  there  must  be  a  generally  sustained  effort  to  increase  produc¬ 
tion  to  the  point  where  a  supply  of  sufficient  magnitude  is  created  to 
not  only  meet  the  present  volume  of  demand  but  to  exceed  it. 

The  sugar-beet  industry  comes  under  the  category  of  a  seasonable 
industry.  It  requires  ordinarily  four  operations — chopping  or  thin¬ 
ning,  first  hoeing,  second  hoeing,  and  chopping  off  tops  and  loading. 
In  some  sections,  notably  California,  sugar  beets  must  be  treated  at 
the  refineries  within  a  short  period  after  pulling  and  chopping  off 
the  tops  to  prevent  deterioration,  while  in  other  sections  they  can  be 
siloed  and  the  sugar  content  preserved  for  a  considerable  length  of 
time.  Between  the  operations  mentioned  there  is  a  period  tvhen  no 
work  in  the  beet  fields  is  usually  necessary.  To  successfully  cultivate 
sugar  beets  these  operations  must  be  performed  at  stated  and  definite 
periods  in  their  growth. 

These  facts  have  frequently  been  made  the  basis  for  statements 
that  there  is  unemployed  labor  in  this  industry,  and  that  there  is  a 
surplusage  of  the  character  of  labor  needed  to  perform  the  necessary 
work  to  bring  the  crop  to  the  point  where  it  is  ready  for  treatment 
in  the  refinery.  There  has  been  some  idleness  in  the  beet  fields  be¬ 
tween  operations,  but  there  has  been  also  a  widespread  effort  on  the 
part  of  the  sugar  companies  and  the  sugar-beet  farmers  to  provide 
wherever  possible  other  farm  labor  to  take  up  the  idleness  between 
operations  in  the  process  of  growing  beets.  In  numerous  sections  of 
the  beet-growing  area  supplemental  work  has  been  provided  at  re¬ 
munerative  wages.  The  providing  of  continuous  employment  tends, 
of  course,  to  reduce  labor  turnover,  and  especially  to  curtail  recruit¬ 
ing  expenses. 


4 


The  labor  employed  in  growing  beets  ft  usually  compensated  under 
a  contract.  The  prevailing  price  paid  this  year  ranges  from  $30  to 
$35  an  acre,  according  to  locality.  Where  the  contract  price  is  $30 
an  acre  the  division  of  payments  are  as  follows: 

Per  acre. 


For  chopping  or  thinning _ .  $13.  00 

First  hoeing _ _ _  3.  50 

Second  hoeing _ _  2.  50 

Pulling  and  chopping  off  tops  and  loading _ _  11.  00 


The  average  acreage  assigned  to  each  laborer  for  the  season  is  10. 

In  some  of  the  beet  fields  visited,  where  labor  shortage  had  been 
acute,  Mexican  laborers  were  being  employed  chopping  out  weeds, 
receiving  $4  for  a  day  of  nine  hours.  Representatives  of  sugar 
companies  engaged  in  importing  Mexican  laborers  have  been  offering 
the  contract  price  referred  to  above  and  the  going  wages  of  the  dis¬ 
trict  into  which  they  are  shipped  for  farm  labor  other  than  beet 
cultivation,  with  a  guaranty  that  35  cents  an  hour  shall  be  the 
minimum. 

The  urgency  for  the  production  of  sugar  has  resulted  in  a  largely 
increased  acreage  and  a  consequent  increased  demand  for  labor.  The 
sugar  companies,  in  executing  contracts  with  the  farmers,  generally 
now  agree  to  provide  the  labor  necessary  for  cultivation.  In  one 
beet-growing  district  about  70,000  acres  are  under  cultivation.  The 
resident  laborers  number  approximately  2,000.  According  to  the 
ratio  of  1  laborer  to  10  acres,  this  district  must  be  provided  with 
5,000  additional  laborers  to  cultivate  and  convert  the  crop  into  sugar. 
This  necessity  for  additional  labor  is  illustrative  of  the  general  situa¬ 
tion  in  the  beet  belt,  with  variations  based  on  locality  and  other 
conditions. 

Reverting  to  the  wage  problem  it  was  found  that  remuneration  of 
labor  in  what  is  known  as  the  low-wage  section  of  the  South  had 
appreciably  risen  over  the  prewar  standard.  In  former  years  Mexi¬ 
can  labor  has  been  secured  in  this  section  at  a  wage  rate  as  low  as 
12^-  cents  per  hour.  In  a  communication  dated  June  7,  1920,  the 
immigration  inspector  in  charge  at  Phoenix,  Ariz.,  gives  the  follow¬ 
ing  data  relative  to  scales  of  wages  paid  in  the  vicinity  of  Phoenix: 

Wages  paid  for  unskilled  white  farm  labor  is  $3  a  day  and  board  for  10  hours 
work. 

Local  -Mexican  laborers,  for  unskilled  farm  labor,  $3  a  day  without  board  for 
10  hours  work. 

Local  labor  (both  white  and  Mexican)  for  irrigating,  which  is  considered 
harder  work  than  ordinary  farm  labor,  35  and  40  cents  per  hour. 

Local  labor  for  teamsters  on  farms,  $3.50  a  day  with  board  for  white  labor 
and  $3.50  a  day  without  board  for  other  labor,  10  hours  work. 

The  Arizona  Eastern  Railway  pays  its  section  hands  or  track  laborers  (all 
Mexicans)  34  cents  an  hour  or  $2.72  an  eight-hour  day. 

The  Santa  Fe,  Phoenix  &  Pacific  Railway  pays  its  section  hands  or  track 
laborers  374  cents  per  hour  or  $3  for  an  eight-hour  day  without  board;  track 
laborers  on  extra  gang  at  the  rate  of  40  cents  an  hour  or  $3.20  for  an  eight-hour 
day,  with  time  and  a  half  for  overtime. 

The  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railway  (coast  lines)  pays  its  section 
hands  or  track  laborers  35|  cents  per  hour  or  $2.82  for  an  eight-hour  day,  with¬ 
out  board ;  track  laborers  in  extra  gangs  40  cents  per  hour  or  $3.20  for  an  eight- 
hour  day,  with  time  and  a  half  for  overtime. 

Unskilled  labor  (both  white  and  Mexicans)  in  Phoenix  doing  pick  and  shovel 
work,  working  in  concrete,  and  in  general  roustabout  work,  receives  50  cents  per 
hour  or  $4  for  an  eight-hour  day. 


*  /  ' 


5 


The  State  of  Arizona  pays  its  unskilled  labor  (white  or  Mexican)  on  road 
work  and  other  construction  work,  50  cents  an  hour  or  $4  for  an  8-hour  day, 
with  a  deduction  of  $1.20  a  day  for  board,  or  at  the  rate  of  $2.80  per  day  with 
board. 

Maricopa  County  pays  its  unskilled  labor  (both  white  and  Mexicans)  on 
road  work  50  cents  an  hour  or  $4  for  an  eight-hour  day,  with  a  deduction  of 
$1.25  a  day  for  board,  or  at  the  rate  of  $2.75  a  day  with  board. 

The  Salt  River  Valley  Water  Users’  Association  pays  its  unskilled  labor 
(all  Mexican)  doing  pick  and  shovel  work,  cleaning  canals,  $3.50  for  an 
eight-hour  day,  with  $1  per  day  deducted  for  board.  Carpenters,  electricians, 
and  pipe  men,  $6  for  an  eight-hour  day,  with  $1  per  day  deducted  for  board. 

Rates  of  wages  paid  skilled  labor  for  eight  hours’  work  in  Phoenix,  as  follows : 


Plumbers _ 1—  $12 

Bricklayers _  10 

Carpenters _  8 


Members  of  the  Arizona  Cotton  Growers’  Association  in  the  Salt  River  Val¬ 
ley  pay  the  Mexican  laborers  imported  under  departmental  exceptions  for 
agricultural  laborers  as  follows : 

Chopping  cotton,  pick  and  shovel  work,  cleaning  ditches,  $3  per  day  for  10 
hours’  work. 

Teamsters,  $3.25  to  $3.50  for  10  hours’  work,  according  to  the  efficiency  of 
the  individual. 

Three  cents  per  pound  for  picking  cotton,  first  and  second  openings ;  the 
average  adult  will  pick  100  pounds ;  later  in  the  season,  when  the  cotton  is 
thinner,  the  rate  is  raised  to  4,  6,  7,  or  S  cents  a  pound,  and  as  high  as  10 
cents  per  pound  toward  the  last  of  the  season. 

Of  course  a  man  with  a  family  always  makes  good  money  during  the  pick¬ 
ing  season,  making  from  $40  to  $75  a  week. 

These  aliens  are  furnished  quarters,  wood,  and  water  free. 

Housing  conditions  for  seasonal  labor  in  the  agricultural  sections 
of  the  territory  under  consideration  are  not  altogether  ideal.  In 
California,  the  State  housing  law  has  been  responsible  for  the  erec¬ 
tion  in  labor  camps  of  habitable  buildings  in  many  parts  of  the 
State.  In  States  where  there  is  no  regulatory  legislation  agricul¬ 
tural  laborers  are  housed  in  numerous  ways,  farm  outbuildings  and 
tents  predominating.  The  urgent  need  of  farm  labor,  however,  is 
acting  as  a  stimulus  to  provide  suitable  habitation  for-  an  increasing 
army  of  laborers,  so  that  they  may  be  housed  comfortably  in  all 
seasons  of  the  year. 

It  is  exceedingly  pertinent  to  state  that  the  J apanese  are  invading 
the  sugar-beet  industry  not  only  as  laborers  but  as  proprietors. 
They  are  reported  to  be  buying  beet  land,  as  well  as  land  in  the 
cotton-growing  sections.  The  invasion  has  not  assumed  large  pro¬ 
portions  as  yet,  but  the  future  may,  and  probably  will,  especially  if 
other  labor  is  not  available,  witness  large  numbers  of  this  oriental 
race  in  possession  of  a  considerable  proportion  of  sugar-beet  and 
cotton  areas  of  the  country.  In  discussing  this  phase  of  the  situation 
in  various  parts  of  the  territory  visited  there  appeared  to  be  a  grow¬ 
ing  apprehension  that  if  Mexican  labor  could  not  be  procured  to 
perform  what  is  known  as  “  squat  ”  labor  the  J  apanese  would  eventu¬ 
ally  comprise  the  bulk  of  labor  necessary  in  this  industry. 

The  Mexicans  of  our  day,  being  descendants  of  a  race  in  whose 
veins  flow  in  dominating  measure  Indian  blood,  evince  the  same  mi¬ 
gratory  characteristics  that  have  always  been  a  feature  of  the  Indian 
race.  Mexicans  brought  into  the  country  under  the  exemptions  for 
temporary  work  on  the  farms  have  not  all  remained  in  the  employ 
of  the  farmers.  There  have  been  a  considerable  number  of  Mexicans 


8415 - 20—2 


6 


that  have  left  the  farm  and  sought  and  secured  other  employment, 
to  what  extent  is  reflected  in  the  immigration  reports.  The  great 
bulk  of  the  Mexicans  now  employed  in  the  western  territory  outside 
of  the  beet  fields  and  the  cotton  area  are  employed  on  the  railroads 
in  manual  labor  required  in  construction  and  rehabilitation  work. 

It  can  be  stated,  however,  that  even  though  there  has  been  a  viola¬ 
tion  of  their  agreement  by  the  Mexicans  in  leaving  the  farms,  there 
has  been  during  the  present  season  a  greater  demand  for  common  or 
unskilled  labor  than  there  have  been  workmen  to  supply  it. 

Every  employment  office  in  the  States  visited,  numbering  some 
55  in  10  States,  reported  their  inability  to  meet  the  demand  for 
unskilled  labor  in  practically  all  branches  of  industry.  It  must  be 
borne  in  mind  in  dealing  with  the  question  of  Mexican  labor  that 
there  are  in  this  country  many  thousands  of  Mexicans  who  are  native 
born,  and  likewise  those  who  have  been  here  for  years  and  are  nat¬ 
uralized  citizens,  as  well  as  large  numbers  who  are  able  to  qualify 
under  the  tests  prescribed  by  the  immigration  laws,  who  cross  and 
recross  the  border  at  varying  intervals. 

In  the  25  cities  and  towns  visited  it  was  found  that  the  number  of 
Mexicans  displacing  white  men  was  negligible.  The  fact  must  not 
be  lost  sight  of  that  Mexicans  in  considerable  numbers  are  members 
of  local  labor  unions.  Mexicans  are  members  of  the  United  Mine 
Workers,  the  packing-house  unions,  the  various  skilled  trades,  and 
federal  labor  unions  chartered  by  the  American  Federation  of  Labor. 
At  the  time  of  our  visit  to  Phoenix,  Ariz.,  it  was  reported  by  officials 
of  the  Arizona  State  Federation  of  Labor  that  the  American  Fed¬ 
eration  of  Labor  had  detailed  an  organizer  into  that  field  to  organize 
the  Mexicans  employed  in  the  cotton  fields,  who  were  admitted  under 
the  exceptions.  The  Pan  American  Federation  of  Labor,  which  was 
organized  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  American  Federation 
of  Labor,  seeks  to  render  sympathetic  assistance  to  the  Mexicans. 
I  hese  agencies,  afford  the  Mexicans  protection  against  exploitation. 
Mr.  Gompers  is  president  of  the  Pan  American  Federation. 

At  the  time  this  report  is  being  written  there  are  still  efforts  being 
made  to  recruit  labor  for  the  beet  fields.  While  the  great  bulk  of 
the  labor  has  been  secured,  the  migratory  character  of  the  Mexican 
makes  it  necessary  to  continue  recruiting  labor  until  the  beets  are 
harvested.  The  situation,  however,  is  fairly  good,  although  our  in¬ 
vestigation  reveals  no  impending  surplusage  of  common  labor  in 
this  industry  during  the  last  operations.  Our  information  justifies 
the  statement  that  there  has  been  no  surplusage  at  any  time,  and  that 
the  lateness  of  the  crop,  because  of  weather  conditions,  was  one  of 
the  fortunate  instances  that  alleviated  what  portended  to  be  a  very 
serious  labor  shortage  at  the  beginning  of  the  season.  Even  with  the 
lateness  of  the  season,  Mexican  laborers  and  other  laborers  in  suffi¬ 
cient  numbers  were  not  secured  until  the  season  was  well  advanced. 

Referring  to  the  large  number  of  protests  that  were  filed  before 
the  Immigration  Committee  last  spring,  protesting  against  the  ad¬ 
mission  of  Mexican  laborers,  particular  attention  was  given  to  this 
phase  of  the  situation.  These  protests  stated  either  directly  or  in- 
ferentially  that  there  was  no  shortage  of  common  or  unskilled  labor 
in  the  communities  where  the  protests  originated  and  that  Mexicans 
admitted  under  the  exemption  order  of  February  12,  1920,  and  the 


7 


supplementary  order  of  April  12,  1920,  were  displacing  white  work¬ 
ingmen.  In  order  to  illustrate  the  fallaciousness  of  many  of  the 
statements  made  in  these  protests  there  is  included  in  this  report 
a  synopsis  of  an  investigation  made  in  Texas  as  the  result  of  charges 
made  that  Mexican  labor  was  displacing  white  labor.  It  will  be  ob¬ 
served  that  the  result  of  this  investigation,  performed  at  the  instance 
of  the  complainant,  failed  to  substantiate  the  statements  made.  This 
report  is  indicative  of  the  general  situation,  and  shows  conclusively 
that  the  Mexican  laborers  referred  to  were  employed  only  in  the 
capacity  of  unskilled  laborers,  and  that  they  were  not  admitted 
under  the  exceptions  of  February  12  and  April  12,  1920.  The  report 
follows : 


Fort  Worth,  Tex.,  May  29,  1920. 

Inspector  in  Charge, 

Immigration  Service,  El  Paso,  Tex.: 

Referring  to  your  indorsement  No.  3032/1,  dated  the  Ttli  instant,  transmit¬ 
ting  copy  of  bureau  telegram  dated  April  24  last,  in  re  Mexican  laborers  im¬ 
ported  under  departmental  exemptions  being  employed  for  labor  other  than 
agricultural,  Mr.  II.  E.  Evans,  international  president  Oil  Field,  Gas,  and 
Well  Refinery  Workers  of  America,  stated  the  15tli  instant  that  there  was  an— 


“  illegal  use  Mexican  labor  in  industries  other  than  those  indicated  under 
the  rule  under  which  Mexican  laborers  are  imported;  that  he  had  not 
so  far  completed  a  thorough  investigation ;  however,  that  he  had  found 
sufficient  reason  to  believe  the  situation  needs  a  thorough  investigation. 
That  thousands  of  Mexicans  in  the  mid-continent  oil  fields  are  being  used 
to  displace  American  labor  on  pipe  lines  where  there  is  ample  supply  of 
Americans,  who  are  solely  dependent  upon  this  particular  line  of  work  for 
their  existence,  and  that  he  felt  a  thorough  investigation  would  reveal 
startling  facts  of  the  wholesale  violation  of  the  purpose  for  which  the 
emergency  rule  was  established.” 


Mr.  Evans  introduced 
who  stated  that — 


Mr.  J.  A.  Russ,  secretary  Burkburnett  Local,  No.  49. 


“on  April  30,  1920,  there  were  five  carloads  of  Mexicans  unloaded  at 
Burkburnett,  and  upon  investigation  with  an  interpreter  secured  at  the  Mag¬ 
nolia  found  these  Mexicans  had  been  sent  from  the  La :*odo  district  to  do 
work  for  the  Texas  Co.  This  was  denied  by  the  superintendent.  How¬ 
ever,  they  are  working  on  the  line  that  belongs  to  the  Texas  Co.,  which 
follows  the  Magnolia  8-inch  line  coming  in  on  the  main  highway  from 
Wichita  Falls.  Another  instance,  a  12-inch  line  being  laid  across  the 
Wagnor  pool  to  block  821,  under  construction  by  Booth  &  Flynn,  con¬ 
tractors.” 

Mr.  Evans  arranged  meetings  with  other  heads  of  crafts  allied  with  his 
organization  with  a  view  to  gathering  data  upon  which  an  investigation  could 
be  commenced,  advising  that  Mr.  U.  M.  Lee,  deputy,  district  No.  5,  Fort  Worth, 
Tex.,  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics  of  the  State  of  Texas,  was  assisting  him  and 
his  associates  in  the  investigation,  and  requested  the  writer  to  accompany 
him  to  Hillsboro,  Burkburnett,  and  Breckenridge,  Tex.,  Mr.  Evans  courteously 
supplying  the  services  of  an  interpreter  and  stenographer  for  use  in  the  fields. 

On  the  19tli  instant,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Lee,  statements  were  obtained  from 
the  Mexican  pipe-line  crew  employed  by  the  McPliearson  Contracting  Co.,  in 
laying  a  gas  line  in  the  vicinity  of  Hillsboro,  Tex.  The  records  indicate  the 


status  of  the  laborers  as  follows : 

Admitted  under  departmental  exception  1 _  0 

Domiciled _ i - , -  1 

Admitted,  payment  of  head  tax _ 1 -  4 

Entered  without  inspection -  11 


Total _  16 

Mr.  Lee  advised  that  there  was  no  other  Mexican  labor  employed  in  the 
vicinity  of  Hillsboro,  Tex. 


1  Mexican  labor  was  being  used  to  assemble  the  rubber  gasket  joined  pipe  line  in  the 
vicinity  of  Hillsboro,  Tex.  (McPhearson  Contracting  Co.) 


8 


Accompanied  by  Mr.  Lee  and  piloted  by  J.  A.  Russ,  secretary  Burkburnett 
local  No.  49,  every  oil  lease,  refinery,  and  tank  farm  in  the  entire  district  be¬ 
tween  Burkburnett  and  the  Red  River,  including  the  entire  Burkburnett  field, 


was  visited,  resulting: 

Mexican  laborers  or  residents  found _  0 

White  labor  laying  pipe  lines,  crews _  3 

White  labor  engaged  in  other  vocations _  All 


On  the  24tli  instant,  accomapnied  by  Mr.  Lee  and  piloted  by  Messrs.  Harris 
Campbell  and  R.  Hoyt,  members  and  organizers  of  the  Breckenridge  local, 
Breckenridge,  Tex.,  statements  were  obtained  from  Mexican  laborers  employed 
by  Westinghouse-Church-Kerr  &  Co.  (Inc.),  engineers  and  contractors  for  the 
Texas  Co.,  working  in  the  pipe-line  crew  on  Parks  lease.  The  status  of  the 


Mexican  laborers  is  as  follows : 

Admitted  under  departmental  exception  2 _  0 

Admitted,  payment  head  tax _ - _ _ _  2 

Entered  without  inspection _ 15 

Total _ 17 


Approximately  50  other  Mexicans  were  employed  in  performing  common 
labor  on  the  Parks  lease.  Mexican  labor  was  not  being  used  on  other  leases 
visited  in  the  Breckenridge  field. 

Mr.  U.  M.  Lee  to-day  informed  me  that  he  knew  of  no  other  fields  where  an 
investigation  was  desired  by  this  service. 

Supplemental  to  this  report  you  are  advised  the  several  labor  agencies  visited 
in  Fort  Worth,  Tex.,  indicate  the  following  with  respect  to  Mexican  laborers: 


Shipped. 

Standing 

order. 

Shipped. 

Standing 

order. 

Oregon  Short  Line . 

200 

5,000 

2,000 

8,000 

3,000 

8,000 

1,000 

1,000 

1,000 

Texas  &  Pacific . 

400 

200 

1,500 

16,100 

Union  Pacific . 

Pipe  lines . 

G.  W.  Beet  Sugar  Co . 

Rock  Island  &  Frisco . 

Santa  Fe . 

Farm  laborers  (next  30  days). 

Total . 

M.  H.  Jones,  * 
Immigrant  Inspector. 

In  connection  with  the  foregoing  statement  it  will  be  interesting 
to  refer  to  the  statistical  record  compiled  by  Mr.  F.  W.  Berkshire, 
supervising  inspector  of  immigration  at  El  Paso,  Tex.  This  record 
is  a  compilation  of  the  Mexican  agricultural  laborers  admitted  under 
departmental  exceptions  for  the  years  1917,  1918,  1919,  and  1920. 
This  record  is  compiled  as  of  June  30,  1920.  It  shows  that  during  the 
period  mentioned  there  were  40,700  Mexican  laborers  imported  into 
the  United  States,  and  that  19,604  are  now  employed,  while  12,800 
have  been  returned,  and  8,078  deserted.  Included  in  the  statistical 
statement  is  the  number  of  Mexicans  imported  for  Government  con¬ 
struction  and  mining  during  the  year  1919.  Adding  the  totals  of 
Mexicans  imported  for  Government  construction  and  mining  in  1919 
to  the  total  number  of  Mexicans  imported  during  the  four  years 
mentioned  it  is  found  that  there  has  been  a  grand  total  of  these  labor¬ 
ers  imported  amounting  to  50,852,  17,186  having  been  returned,  while 
22,637  are  now  employed  and  10,691  reported  deserted,  with  a  death 
list  of  327.  Analyzing  the  grand  totals,  assuming  that  all  the  desert¬ 
ers  are  still  in  this  country,  which  is  exceedingly  improbable,  it  is 
found  that  there  are  remaining  in  this  country  as  a  result  of  the  im¬ 
portations  some  33,000  Mexican  laborers,  over  22,000  of  whom  are 
now  employed,  with  desertions  of  approximately  11,000. 


2  White  labor  was  being  used  for  ox- welding  the  joints  of  the  pipe  line  on  the  Parks 
lease,  in  the  Breckenridge  field.  (Westinghouse-Church-Kerr  &  Co.  (Inc.).) 


9 


A  reference  to  the  immigration  statistics  of  the  country  during 
the  years  preceding  the  war  shows  that  a  vast  multitude  of  workmen, 
approximating  something  like  1,000,000  a  year,  entered  this  country, 
and  while  this  vast  number  did  not  all  secure  labor  for  which  ade¬ 
quate  remuneration  was  received,  yet  the  great  bulk  was  absorbed  by 
the  expanding  industries  of  the  country.  In  1917,  when  Congress 
declared  war,  this  large  volume  of  immigration  ceased,  while  the  de¬ 
mand  for  labor  at  the  same  time  became  greater  than  at  any  period 
within  the  history  of  the  United  States.  The  records  show  that  dur¬ 
ing  the  period  of  the  war  and  since  the  signing  of  the  armistice  the 
shortage  of  unskilled  or  common  labor  has  been  very  acute. 

It  is  a  generally  accepted  fact  that  upon  the  signing  of  the  armi¬ 
stice  and  returning  to  this  country  of  the  vast  army  sent  abroad  and 
its  demobilization  the  men  demobilized  did  not  generally  return  to 
the  vocations  in  which  they  were  engaged  at  the  time  they  were  called 
upon  to  perform  military  service.  In  fact,  the  authorities  claim  that 
there  has  been  a  general  reluctance  upon  the  part  of  farm  laborers  to 
return  to  the  farm.  With  the  mounting  cost  of  living,  particularly 
in  food  products,  great  efforts  have  been  made  to  increase  farm  pro¬ 
duction,  but  the  supply  of  labor  has  been  difficult  to  obtain  to  culti¬ 
vate  that  vast  area  necessary  to  produce  sufficient  for  the  wants  of 
the  people  of  our  own  country  and  meet  the  demands  for  export. 

The  figures  given  with  reference  to  the  number  of  Mexicans  com¬ 
ing  to  this  country  under  the  exceptions  appear  as  exceedingly  modest 
when  the  actual  conditions  which  obtained  at  the  time  that  the 
exceptions  were  made  are  taken  into  consideration. 

In  making  this  comparative  statement  your  investigators  are  of 
the  opinion  that  a  dire  and  imperative  need  was  met  in  making  the 
exceptions  and  permitting  Mexican  labor  to  enter  this  country  on 
easy  terms  to  meet  the  abnormal  demand  for  common  labor.  The 
fact  that  this  country  comprises  a  large  area,  and  that  our  industries, 
particularly  agriculture,  must  expand  to  meet  an  increasing  popula¬ 
tion,  makes  imperative  a  similar  increase  in  common  labor  to  meet 
the  demands  of  expansion. 

The  increase  of  sugar-beet  acreage  of  the  country  indicates  the 
growing  demand  for  labor  in  that  industry  alone.  The  folloAving 
table  is  a  summary  of  the  United  States  sugar  beet  acreage,  as  com¬ 
piled  by  the  statistical  divisions  of  the  sugar  companies : 


State. 

1920 

1919 

1918 

1917 

Colorado ...  . 

260, 514 
153, 000 
136,783 
112,000 
81, 689 

56. 500 
52, 050 
34, 800 

19. 500 
18, 600 

.  * 

50,315 

230, 348 
138, 298 
130, 168 
110,200 
67, 644 
54, 700 
47, 462 
18, 800 

141,508 
123, 627 
126,989 
90, 478 
46, 069 
40, 500 
45, 376 
23, 850 

183, 600 
109, 450 
190, 200 
91, 100 
54, 194 
46, 500 
30,750 
.  21, 300 

Michigan . 

California . 

Utah...  . 

Nebraska .  . 

Idaho .  . 

Ohio . 

Wisconsin .  . 

Iowa  . 

W voming  .  .  .  .  .  . 

Montana.  .  .  . 

i  81, 800 

i  72, 236 

2  45, 747 

Washington..  . 

Kansas...  . 

South  Dakota. .  . 

Minnesota .  . 

Illinois .  . 

Indiana . 

Total .  . 

975, 751 

879, 420 

710, 633 

772, 841 

1  Including  Iowa  and  Wyoming.  2  Including  Iowa,  Wyoming,  Oregon,  and  Nevada. 


10 


The  number  of  sugar-beet  refineries  in  operation  this  year  will 
aggregate  98.  Utah  will  hold  first  place  by  operating  20  refineries, 
Colorado  next  with  18,  while  Michigan  will  operate  17. 

According  to  the  generally  accepted  estimate  that  one  laborer  is 
needed  for  each  10  acres,  the  growing  and  harvesting  of  the  1920 
beet  crop  will  require  97,500  laborers. 

In  some  quarters  there  has  been  developed  a  strong  opposition  to 
immigration,  and  in  some  of  the  arguments  against  the  immigration 
of  certain  aliens  there  is  a  general  acquiescence  in  the  opposition,  but 
it  can  be  said  that  so  far  as  the  Mexican  is  concerned  he  presents 
certain  economic  advantages  not  possessed  by  other  nationalities. 

The  acreage  of  sugar  beets,  and  likewise  cotton,  is  expanding,  and 
these  two  industries  require  manual  laborers  in  increasing  numbers. 

Other  elements  enter  into  this  problem.  They  are  questions  of 
wages  and  conditions.  The  southern  portion  of  those  States  resting 
on  the  Mexican  border  has  been  known  as  the  “  low-wage  ”  section. 
Mexicans  coming  across  the  border  in  normal  times  have  not  always 
been  able  to  secure  adequate  remuneration  for  their  labor  in  the  sec¬ 
tions  referred  to ;  but  as  the  war  created  new  demands  for  labor  in 
all  sections,  wages  of  Mexican  labor  rose  in  accordance  therewith. 
It  would  be  presumptuous  to  make  the  positive  statement  that  Mexi¬ 
cans  in  all  parts  of  the  West  were  receiving  adequate  remuneration 
for  services  performed,  but  it  can  be  said  that  the  remuneration  re¬ 
ceived  by  the  large  body  of  Mexicans  now  employed  in  the  beet  fields, 
cotton  fields,  and  upon  the  railroads  is  a  wage  which  ranges  from 
100  to  300  per  cent  greater  than  before  the  war.  It  undoubtedly  is 
true  that  in  some  localities  where  Mexicans  are  employed  the  condi¬ 
tions  are  not  what  they  ought  to  be,  but  the  fact  that  there  has  been 
such  an  imperative  need  for  laborers  has  brought  home  to  the  em¬ 
ployers  of  this  class  of  labor  the  imperative  necessity  of  continually 
improving  conditions,  so  that  the  laborers  employed  can  be  retained. 

Another  feature  of  the  situation  is  the  illegal  entry  of  Mexicans. 
It  has  been  impossible  for  the  Immigration  Service  to  maintain  an 
adequate  patrol  on  the  Mexican  border  because  of  lack  of  funds,  thus 
opening  the  way  for  illegal  entrance.  Another  reason  assigned  for 
illegal  entrance  is  that  in  the  northern  Mexican  States,  which  were 
under  the  domination  of  Villa,  the  people  of  the  country  became  so 
impoverished  for  lack  of  food  that  it  became  necessary  for  them  to 
migrate  to  keep  from  starving.  At  one  time  during  this  year  a  large 
number  of  Mexicans  came  to  San  Antonio,  Tex.,  and  for  a  brief 
period  were  given  aid  by  the  municipal  authorities.  The  officials  of 
that  city  are  authority  for  the  statement  that  four  meals  to  each 
refugee  was  the  limit  of  the  assistance  rendered.  No  definite  state¬ 
ment  can  be  secured  as  to  the  number  of  illegal  entrants  into  San 
Antonio  or  any  other  place  on  the  border.  Notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  the  number  of  these  Mexicans  so  entering  reached  considerable 
proportions,  yet  the  effect  upon  the  labor  market  was  not  appreciable. 

Without  understanding. the  characteristics  of  the  Mexicans,  it  is 
quite  probable  that  the  uninformed  would  assume  that  of  all  the 
Mexicans  coming  into  this  country — those  who  came  in  under  the 
exceptions,  those  entitled  to  come  by  complying  with  immigration 
regulations,  as  well  as  the  illegal  entrants — remain  in  this  country 
indefinitely.  Such  is  not  the  case.  There  is  a  stream  of  Mexicans 
coming  out  of  Mexico  into  the  United  States,  and  another  stream 


11 


fy  <  // 

returning  from  the  United  States  into  Mexico.  Of  the  returning 
stream  there  are  no  complete  records  being  kept,  neither  are  they 
possible.  Your  investigators,  however,  made  observations  of  the 
trains  running  south  in  sections  near  the  border,  and  it  was  found 
that  on  practically  every  train  running  in  this  direction  there  were 
carried  Mexicans  in  less  or  greater  numbers  returning  to  their  native 
country. 

The  fact  that  Spaniards  and  Mexicans  have  been  the  pioneers  in 
various  parts  of  the  western  country  should  not  be  lost  sight  of. 
There  is  a  large  population  of  Mexicans  in  the  West  and  South  that 
are  native  born,  and,  therefore,  American  citizens,  and  in  the  sec¬ 
tions  of  country  where  they  reside  have  made  for  stability  of  govern¬ 
ment  and  progress,  and  while  the  Mexican  of  the  present  day  is  not 
of  pure  Spanish  blood,  being  an  admixture  of  Spanish  and  Indian, 
yet  they  have  not  brought  to  this  country  preconceived  notions  of 
erratic  governmental  policies  or  attempted  in  any  way  to  impede 
the  progress  of  orderly  and  representative  government. 

Summarizing  the  information  secured,  giving  due  weight  to  the 
questions  involved,  we  make  the  following  statements : 

That  protests  filed  against  the  admission  of  Mexican  labor  under 
the  exceptions  could  not  be  substantiated  by  facts. 

That  though  the  restrictions  on  the  southern  border  were  even 
more  lax  than  they  are  under  the  exceptions,  no  detrimental  economic 
situation  would  be  presented. 

That  our  investigation  proves  beyond  a  reasonable  doubt  that 
white  men  are  averse  to  accepting,  and  refuse  to  accept  (as  they 
have  the  right  to  do),  employment  as  unskilled  or  common  laborers, 
except,  perhaps,  where  that  employment  is  within  the  limits  of  towns 
or  cities. 

That  at  the  time  this  report  is  submitted  the  employment  offices 
in  all  of  the  Western  States  visited  are  unable  to  supply  the  demand 
for  common  labor. 

That  wages  paid  and  conditions  provided  for  common  labor,  while 
perhaps  in  many  instances  not  ideal,  yet  present  a  vast  improvement 
over  the  period  preceding  the  war. 

That  our  investigation  disclosed  the  fact  that  Mexicans  are  not 
displacing  white  laborers  in  any  appreciable  degree. 

RECOMMENDATION. 

While  we  find  that  admission  of  Mexicans  under  the  exceptions 
has  thus  far  been  necessary  and  beneficial,  both  to  them  and  to  the 
United  States,  we  respectfully  suggest,  as  a  safeguard  against  any 
possible  undesirable  development  through  continuance  of  this  policy, 
not  only  adequate  Federal  supervision  of  the  border  but  inspection 
of  employment  to  insure  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of 
proper  living  and  working  conditions. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

Grant  Hamilton. 

A.  L.  Faulkner. 

Hon.  W.  B.  Wilson, 

Secretary  of  Labor , 

W  ashing  ton,  D.  C . 


WASHINGTON  :  GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE  :  1920 


